FOTOS Route de l´Espoir

die straße der hoffnung - voller tierkadaver

FOTOS on the road

12. 12. ONG "Arbre", Nouakchott, Mauretania

We were ready at 9 a.m., but it was almost 11 a.m. when we were picked up by Ould Mohamed Lemin, director of „Arbre - Environment Modelling and Management, project of solid waste/Mauretania“. This local NGO was founded about 10 years ago, and they even publish a regular newspaper. At the moment they have a European Union grant. Ould´s English was fine, but he introduced us to a volonteer, who spoke more fluent: Mohamed Mahmoud, a young man who had studied Mathematics and Japanese in Morocco and Japan.

Their project was to coordinate the collecting, separating and recycling of different kinds of waste in Nouakchott, and sell the new products on the market. After the interview, they brought us to 4 of the 6 different collectives involved:

One of them collect plastic and glass bottles, separate them and sell them assorted in high quantities to factories for recycling. They showed us some especially nice bottles, which they kept for themselves: French champaign bottles and other luxuries. We fell in love with a bottle, that had the sentence imprinted: „It is prohibited to re-use this bottle“. We got it as dividend for one of our lucky shareholders – as a present, but they were happy to get a tip of 200 Uuguya (approx. 60 cent).

Next collective melted aluminium out of old cars and produced pots, stoves and different kinds of kitchen tools out of it – something we already had seen in Uganda last year. This time we were happy to be able to buy a pot – in Uganda we depended on public traffic, so we had to travel „light“.

Then we were brought to a cooperative producing water troughs out of old barrels containing chemicals before. Stefan filmed a donkey drinking out of a trough, and Manuel smelled into one of the barrel to feel poisoned for the next hours – it was incredibly sharp.

Next cooperative was at the outskirts of town. There was a huge, on first glance empty place with a few boys sitting there and singing. After approaching we realised, that there was wire everywhere: they decomposed old car wheels and took the wire out of them. The wire then was transformed into fences, which were sold on the adjoining street. In the raining season, they can sell this fences for half the price of new ones.

After this, we met Martial and his German girlfriend Sofia, and they brought us to an exhibition of recycling art at some cultural center: a French artist did a workshop with local artists and artisans, and the results were quite charming.

11. 12. Nouakchott, Mauretania

Phone call to the French NGO „Zazou“, which Joachim found in the web. It is Friday, so (almost) everything is closed. We got hold of somebody who called around to find somebody to talk to us anyway, and we got an appointment for 5 p.m. – a representative would come to our place.

I went with Igor to the city center – well, we said „to the post office“, and on arrival the taxi driver told us „but it is closed on Fridays“. So we asked for the market, and he brought us to a huge area with lots of things, but almost no people, an a proper amount of trash on the fringes. The goat are doing the first separation of waste by eating the organic parts. We appreciated this and took some nice dividends for some of our lucky shareholders to do our part.

First part of the market we found mostly old clothes from Europe – socks, shirts, German military jackets. Further on, we discovered beautiful local clothes, and Igor bought shiny blue pants.

Precisely at 5, a quite young French man came and talked brilliant English and even some German. Martial Pouret introduced „Zazou“, an initiative to clean the environment from plastic waste, recycle and sell it, and at the same time empower women by giving them jobs. „Zazou“ is part of the French NGO „GRET“, that operates in 30 different countries.

Dealing with waste is quite problematic in Moslem societies, because waste is said to be associated with „djins“, (bad) spirits, and working with waste means getting in contact with this spirits. The next problem was, that men prefer to have their women at home and not out on the streets. Nevertheless they succeeded recruiting women workers, because no men can resist their earning of some „butter on the bread“. Zazou now works with 106 women´s cooperatives in Nouakchott, altogether more than 1000 women are involved in the project. Women are encouraged to clean up their own neighbourhood and not go to (plastic-rich) districts of the rich. Nevertheless, they often take taxies and go there, but as the price of the taxe goes for volume, almost no money is left for them.

We asked for the official communal waste deposit: this was run by a French company, and there was no possibility to access. Zazou is negociating with them to let the women work there and separate the valuable materials. Of course they would provide them with gloves, masks and information.

Asked for other initiatives, Martial gave us the contact to a local NGO, „ONG Arbre“, and he made some phone calls to get an appointment for the next day.

FOTOS nouadibhou 2

müllpanorama um eine polizeistation in der wüste

FOTOS müllarbeiter nktt

logbucheintrag 18, kilometer 5812, nouakchott

auf der neu asphaltierten straße durch herrliche sanddünenlandschaft nach nouakchott ca. alle 20 km entweder polizei-, gendarmerie-, oder militärposten (fichfänger- da sie vorausgefüllte formulare verlangen und auch meistens „geschenke“). im radius von 1 km rund um diese stationen mitten in der wüste dichteste ansammlungen von müll.

nouakchott:
wir checken in einer auberge ein. das maurisch-arabische vermischt sich zunehmends mit senegalesischem und malischem.
weitläufige boulevards mit sandigen querstraßen, große märkte mit kunsthandwerk, lebensmittel, billigwaren und europäischen second hand gewand.
wir treffen mohammed und seinen kollegen, die uns ihre ngo vorstellen. sie koordinieren 6 bereiche in der abfallrecyclingwirtschaft (plastik- und glasflaschensammler, aluminiumgießer, drahtzaunflächter, ..)
martial treffen wir einen tag später. er ist der französische koordinator der ngo zazou, die ca. 100 frauenkooperativen unter einem dach vereint.
es werden plastikkanister (pp und pe) gesammelt, zerkleinert und zu granulat verarbeitet, aus dem behälter, stühle, tische und bodenziegel erzeugt werden. die frauen empfangen uns mit gesang und tanz und zeigen uns lebensfreude auch bei der arbeit. die möglichkeit als frau mit dieser tätigkeit geld zu verdienen und lokale resoursenschonende recyclingkreisläufe zu etablieren, macht unabhängig und stolz, sagt die direktorin von zazou.

FOTOS fischerstrand nouadibhou

FOTOS nouadibhou (RIM)

zuwanderergürtel

straßenmüll

fensterblick

großer lkw

dividende

dividende

logbuch eintrag 16, kilometerstand 6840, nouadibhou (RIM)

die ausreiseformalitäten marokkos gestalten sich langwierig aber freundlich. unser gefährt wird professionell gescant, wir erhalten einen ausdruck.
durch das ausfahrtstor beginnt das niemandsland zwischen marokko und mauretanien: eine holprige piste mit autowracks entlang des minengürtels und dubiosen gestalten. als letztes auto können wir einreisen und fahren nach nouadibhou, die zweitgrößte stadt rim´s auf einer halbinsel gelegen:
hafenstadt, entlang einer straße mit handel, gewerbe und erzverladung; umgeben von einem hüttengürtel mit
zuwanderern, gastarbeitern, (liberia, senegal, mali, korea, china,..), flüchtlingen (westsahara, sahaurlis), ausgewiesenen (kanaren, spanien) hängengebliebenen europahoffenden, gestrandeten, sklaven !?;
rund um die stadt ein müllgürtel. staatliche müllabfuhr mit von spanien gesponsorten müllwägen, die den müll ausserhalb der stadt deponieren. privat angestellte müllentsorger mit eselskarren.

bananen aus der elfenbeinküste, äpfel und zwetschken aus spanien, melonen aus senegal.
fast food als qualitätsmerkmal.

die wertkartenverkäufer auf den straßen sind durchwegs vermummt und tragen sonnenbrillen.

schiffswracks an der küste zum cap blanc, tausende verendete fische zwischen müll am strand (zum himmel stinkende regionale umweltkatastrophe?!), flüchtlinge aus der westsahara fischen und zerschneiden die wracks (export nach china), spüren den metallpreisverfall durch die globale krise;

unser campingplatzchef ali leitet eine ngo für die sauberkeit der strände, hat weder finanzielle noch ideelle unterstützung vom staat; beim interview mit ihm kontrolliert uns die gendarmerie und verbietet weitere aufnahmen.

Nouakchott - waste and NGO recycling initiatives

2 busy days in Noukchott, out on the "field": details follow within the next days.

10. 12.

Arriving the street, a police car was approaching and asked, what we had done there. Somebody had informed them, that we spent the night out there. They advised us to sleep near public buildings.

More and more police controls, the street becomes a highway, Nouakchott. A young man collected people from the last police stop and guided them to his auberge, promising a room for 4 people with free internet and air condition for eur 20,-. Our Steyr had a good place to park, 2 of us still sleeping in the truck and on the roof. It was a green oasis with the luxury of a kitchen and even pots and dishes. Internet was 1 computer with modem for all guests, so work was not really possible.

9. 12. Interview with O.N.G. Auve-garde des plages de la baie du levrier

9. 12. We got up early, but the patron was sleeping long. Around 11 a.m. we finally could start the interview, then we went out to the street to film the poster of his NGO, which was beside the entrance to his yard. About 2 Minutes later, a policeman was there and asked, what we were going to do. We explained, and he asked Stefan to the police station to show the video there. Here he learned, that taking video is prohibited in this country, and he was not supposed to take any video without official permission. They approved the video taken, but we got no permission for the shooting at the beach. A little bit disappointed, we left for Nouakchott.

Endless desert, impressing nothingness. We stopped in the middle of nowhere for some offroad action and collecting dividends.

Around 6 p.m. we were driving between some sand dunes for spending the night there. Sunset and sand, Igor and me went on the roof of our Steyr and Manuel drove over the dunes.

Sleeping on the top of the dune, waking up with a headache from the desert winds.